Archiving the project at closeout: the export, the index and the check that it opens
The project platform subscription is ending, and the coordinator has exported a folder of drawings. The files open, but the review markups are missing. Closeout needs a checked record set and an index, not merely a download that looks large enough to contain the job.
Inventory the records to preserve, export them with the necessary identity and relationships, and check the results before access ends. Store the indexed archive under the applicable retention and access requirements. Readable copies are useful alongside required original records and metadata; one successful download does not establish completeness or guarantee readability many years later.
Build the archive while the platform is available
- Confirm the required record set. Review the project's actual record and retention obligations with the responsible team, including any preservation hold or unresolved issue. Identify required registers, correspondence, minutes, submissions, drawings, photographs and other records with their versions and attachments. Record what is excluded and why. Do not invent a universal retention period or delete records because the work is finished.
- Plan the exports and dependencies. Identify the available export methods and what they preserve: files, issue history, review annotations, attachments, authors, dates and relationships may need separate handling. Retain required original or native records and suitable readable copies rather than assuming one flattened format preserves every function. Identify any software or access dependency that the archive must address.
- Reconcile and check the result. Compare the exports against the record inventory and register entries, investigating missing files, failed exports and broken relationships. Open representative records outside the platform, including annotated documents, attachments and different file types. Record the sample and its limits. A count comparison and spot checks complement each other; neither alone proves that every required record is intact.
- Index, store and hand over. Explain the archive's structure, identifiers, record classes, dependencies and unresolved gaps in a usable index. Apply the appropriate access restrictions and retention rules in the company's record system. Confirm the backup and recovery arrangements with the responsible people and test the relevant recovery process. Assign responsibility for maintaining accessibility and reviewing the archive as systems and obligations change.
Public preservation guidance highlights format dependencies and metadata, while Canadian cyber guidance recommends testing backup and recovery. The cited transfer guidance concerns records going to a national archive; its transfer rules are not universal instructions for a contractor. Use the relevant preservation principles without copying a transfer-specific requirement into your company's retention or security process.
Common mistakes
- Waiting until platform access ends to test the export.
- Keeping only flattened copies when original information is required.
- Treating matching file counts as proof that annotations and relationships survived.
Checklist
Before closing platform access
- Required record inventory and applicable retention.
- Files, versions, metadata and relationships.
- Export exceptions and reconciliation.
- Readability sample and its limits.
- Usable index and controlled storage.
- Assigned preservation and tested recovery arrangements.
Check your understanding
A sample of exported files opens. Can you declare the archive complete?
